General Question

Did SVU "create" virginity in this episode?

I was watching an Law & Order:SVU episode and heard this exchange:
“Any chance [the 12 year old victim] lead a secret life her mom knew nothing about?” “Well, if she did, it wasn’t turning tricks. Her hymen’s intact.”

Can doctors really tell if a hymen has ever been torn, or is this the continuation of the virginity myth?

8 Answers

As far as I know, it is possible to tell if a hymen is intact. The virginity myth is that hymen=virgin. Hymens can get broken in many ways aside from sex, so lack of a hymen doesn’t necessarily mean sexual activity.

Was it the cult episode? I just watched that one tonight but I don’t remember that line.

Yeah, it’s possible to tell if the hymen is intact, and hymens rip for all sorts of reasons having nothing to do with sex. I think it is also possible to have had sex without ripping the hymen. I’d imagine it would have to be very, very slow and gentle sex… so, not very likely.

In some cultures or religions, it is important to “prove” that the bride was a virgin on their wedding night by blood on the sheets of the marital bed. Hymens can be surgically reconstructed to provide this proof.

Personal experience – it is definitely possible to have sex without tearing the hymen. I was three months pregnant when mine finally bit the dust. Some people are just built like a brick wall, I guess. ^_^

Seek Kolinahr, I would question though if I medical doctor could tell the difference of your hymen being intact and never having sex and hymen intact but signs of “damage” (if you will)? But yes, the doctor can tell if the hymen is intact or not.